Once More
by august-waters
Summary: A tale through the life and lies of Severus Snape through Hogwarts and beyond; Living life because of Lily.


He peered over the hedge mesmerized by the two young girls swinging on the set of their playground. One swinging higher and higher than the other, she finally jumped her red hair flowing in the wind, flipping as though a circus artist and landing lightly on the ground.

"Mummy told you not to!" the brown haired girl still on the swing protested dragging her feet in the woodchips and running towards her sister.

"Mummy said you weren't allowed," she growled hands on her hips.

The red haired girl giggled, "But I'm fine. Tuney, look at that. Watch what I can do." Petunia looked around nervously, though she already knew that the playground was deserted. However, she did not notice that long black haired bow staring at them through the growth of bushes.

Lily however, seemed to be oblivious to her older sister's awkward moments and instead was picking up fallen flowers, which lay around them. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder. The fallen flower within Lily's hand seemed to bloom and then close in her hand.

"Stop it!"

"It's not hurting you!"

"It's not right."

At that moment, he decided to make his move. Climbing out from behind the green, he said to Lily, "I know what you are," as if he were whispering. Petunia shot angry glances in his direction, but Lily let her green eyes meet his black ones.

"What do you mean?"

"You're…you're a witch."

Lily stepped back, offended. "_That's_ not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" She turned on her heel and marched toward Petunia who was already walking towards the gate that led out of the park.

"No!" The girls turned around as if to spit back at him, then stopped listening to what he had to say. "You _are._ You _are_ a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one and I'm a wizard. Petunia scoffed, her courage building with every insult in her head.

"Lily, come on, we're leaving." Lily hung her head and obeyed giving Snape a secretive smile and telling him ten minutes behind her back. He smiled, his hair covering his face as Lily darted off in the other direction only to ditch her sister with the excuse that she forgot something at the park and sped back.

"I'm sorry about Tuney, she doesn't really like it."

"It?"

"You know."

"Magic." It came out in a whisper.

"Oh," Severus understood. His father believed he could beat the magic about of him and his mother; the scars that covered his arms were hidden under his black cloak. He was glad his father was rarely home, and he could avoid him in his usual drunken state. He remembered when he had showed the first sign of magic; his father had beaten him senseless. He woke up not remembering what had happened the night before, much of his legs covered in purple bruises and his mother slung over a chair, a red welt on her cheek, for defending him. He had remembered never to show signs of magic around him, and yet little white lines adorned his arms, where blood had once run. Petunia would be like his father, maybe not as bad, but definitely not accepting her sister.

"Don't worry. She'll come around." He lied to her face immediately feeling bad as he looked into her green eyes.

"You sure?" She looked innocently into his black ones, searching for hope in his pearly eyes.

"Well, how do your parents feel?"

"I don't know, I mean, they don't really get it."

"They will be proud. I mean when you go to Hogwarts, they'll be really happy, I mean I think." Severus was careful not to lie; he couldn't look straight at her and tell her something untrue.

"Hogwarts? What's Hogwarts?"

"It's a school. A school for people like us. My mum went there, and I'm going to be going there too, and you will too. I mean, if you want to." He shrugged and rubbed his arm.

"There are more people like us?" She seemed amazed.

"There are thousands! Maybe more; all over the world. They live in secret, in muggle communities, there's even a ministry."

"Muggle?"

"People like your sister and parents, and my dad. No magical blood."

"Oh. Then how come I'm a witch?"

"I don't know, nobody can explain it. But it makes you special."

Lily glowed a soft pink, and looked at the ground, "I think I want to go to Hogwarts…"


End file.
